8
QUEENS WEEKLY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020
NYCHA chair surveys ‘chronic issues’ at long-neglected
Pomonok Houses, promises to present action plan
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The chair of the New
York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA) visited
the Pomonok Houses last
week with local officials
to survey a “litany of
challenges” that affect
residents’ quality of life.
NYCHA Chair Gregory
Russ joined Assemblyman
Daniel Rosenthal, Pomonok
Residents Association President
Tamika Williams and
representatives from the
offices of Congresswoman
Grace Meng, Senator Toby
Ann Stavisky and Councilman
Rory Lancman for a
tour of the facilities. The officials
raised several chronic
issues residents face including
security concerns,
unsanitary conditions and
NYCHA’s failure to address
residents’ work order
requests.
“The living conditions
faced by my constituents
at Pomonok are absolutely
unacceptable,” said Rosenthal.
“I would like to thank
new NYCHA Chair Gregory
Russ for an honest, but
frank conversation that was
necessary in order to look
forward, collectively, and
work together to improve
the lives of residents.”
Built in 1952, Pomonok
Houses is a 35-building,
4,200 resident development
and boasts the “largest
concentration of individual
buildings in all of Queens
County.” Once considered
NYCHA’s “crown jewel”,
Pomonok Houses was the
center for a “record number
of complaints” in 2019
according to Rosenthal’s
office.
A major focus of Russ’
visit was the subsequent
problems following a simultaneous
breakdown of
over half the development’s
trash compactors. The officials
highlighted the
fact that this issue exacerbated
health and sanitary
concerns for residents.
Officials also addressed
safety concerns, namely, the
defective intercoms, “inoperable
locks” to entryways
and dozens of extinguished
exterior lights.
“Productive politics encompass
open and honest
dialogue followed by accountability,
and that was
our achievement today,”
said Williams. “Pomonok
constituents are happy to
have Assemblyman Daniel
Rosenthal, NYCHA Chair
Russ, and all of our elected
officials at the table.
Together we can restore
Pomonok Houses to its
original state as ‘the jewel’
it once was.”
In addition to those
complaints, officials had
worked to get lead paint
tested and removed from
Pomonok Houses, which
according to NYCHA data,
has the “highest number
of children under 6 in
Queens.” In 2019, Meng
urged NYCHA to expedite
lead testing at the
development, which was
part of Mayor de Blasio’s
LeadFreeNYC campaign.
Officials were reportedly
“hopeful for change” at
the end of the walkthrough
and NYCHA scheduled a
return visit “within eight
weeks” to present an action
plan for the development
and its residents.
“I would like to thank
my colleague Assemblyman
Rosenthal for arranging this
walkthrough at the Pomonok
Houses with the new
NYCHA Chairman Gregory
Russ,” said Stavisky. “Over
the past year my office has
been inundated with complaints
from constituents
about the deteriorating conditions
at Pomonok that were
being completely ignored by
local management at Pomonok.
I am delighted to hear
that leadership changes
were made. I appreciated
Chairman Russ’ candor
about the challenges facing
the facility but also his willingness
for a fresh start and
an effort to increase capital
improvements at Pomonok.”
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at
(718) 260-2583.
Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal and NYCHA Chair
Gregory Russ at Pomonok House walkthrough.
Courtesy of Rosenthal’s office
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